Unreal Estate

Question: What failed housing project in Barcelona, Spain, eventually turned into one of the city’s most iconic landmarks?

Answer: Park Güell

At the dawn of the 20th century, Barcelona’s wealthy elite were looking for exclusive housing opportunities. To fill the void, up stepped Eusebi Güell. A successful businessman and textile magnate, Güell decided to create a luxurious residential estate inspired by English garden cities. Since location is everything, he purchased a hillside site above the bustle of Barcelona that offered commanding views of the sea and the surroundings. He began making plans for a gated community with 60 private villas connected by pathways and steps, lots of green spaces, a large public square, and the latest amenities like running water and heating.

To help him realize his ambitious project, in 1900 Güell commissioned his friend and longtime collaborator, Barcelona’s resident architectural genius, Antoni Gaudí. A model villa had been built to attract buyers, and by 1903 Gaudí had completed many of the key elements of Park Güell, including the entrance pavilions, steps, viaducts, outer walls, and much of the large central square—which was already becoming a popular tourist attraction all its own. There was just one big problem, however.

No one wanted to live there.

What went wrong?

Despite Güell’s ambitious plans and Gaudí’s visionary designs, the project failed to attract buyers. Those with money seeking exclusive housing opportunities simply didn’t want to live there. Basic convenience was one factor. The location was deemed too far from Barcelona’s city center. A bigger factor may have been that living in such a “futuristic” setting didn’t appeal to Barcelona’s wealthy families at the time.

Construction in Park Güell continued rather listlessly and when it was completely abandoned in 1914, only two of the planned 50 villas had been built—one of which Gaudí had been living in himself to make it easier to oversee the project (it’s now the Gaudí House Museum). Güell died in 1918, and at the time it sure looked like his dream would die with him. But instead of becoming an abandoned city swallowed up by jungle overgrowth to be dug up by future archaeologists, Park Güell made a stunning recovery ...

Lemons, lemonade and all that ...

Shortly after his death, Güell’s heirs decided to cut their losses by selling the entire tract of land to the city of Barcelona. No longer a private, gated community reserved for the wealthy elite, Barcelona quickly rebranded the site as a showcase for Gaudí’s artistic and architectural genius. And when it was officially opened to the public in 1926, Park Güell was a huge success. Despite its commercial failure, it remains one of the most celebrated architectural sites in the world.

Securing its place as a true cultural treasure, Park Güell was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984. It’s rather ironic, however, that while the biggest problem of the original park was a lack of interest, the biggest problem at today’s Park Güell is too much interest. As one of Barcelona’s top tourist destinations, the park attracts millions of visitors every year. To maintain Gaudí’s original designs while preventing damage from heavy foot traffic, the site is undergoing constant restoration projects. The city has also been forced to limit visitors through timed entries and is even considering restricting access to locals—which, not surprisingly, is sparking debates and hardly seems fair.

At this point, perhaps you’re wondering why everyone wants to visit Park Güell. First of all, why isn’t it called Park Gaudí instead of Park Güell? Besides the fact that Gaudí was a modest man, he preferred naming his projects after his patron, just as he did with Colonia Güell, Palau Güell, and many others. He also called it “Park” rather than using the Catalan word “Parc.” Since Gaudí was inspired by the 19th-century British garden city movement, where communities were designed with outdoor areas alongside commercial areas, he purposely used the English spelling.

The enchanting world of Gaudí’s Park Güell

Your first hint that Park Güell is no ordinary place is an iron gate depicting a horrible dragon that welcomes you into the park. Actually, the park’s most famous entrance would be the Dragon Stairway, where an iconic salamander covered in colorful ceramic tiles known as “El Drac” welcomes you into Gaudí’s magical world.

Anyone taking a sobriety test and forced to walk a straight line best avoid Park Güell. Gaudí was deeply inspired by nature, and since straight lines don’t occur in nature, the only way for his works to blend seamlessly with the natural surroundings was to avoid them altogether. Everything in the park is curves, slanted lines, scalloped edges, and undulating forms that make you feel you’re part of some surrealistic Dali painting.

The surreal, otherworldly atmosphere is further enhanced by a mosaic technique developed by Gaudí called trencadís, which involves breaking colorful pieces of ceramics into small pieces and cementing them to create elaborate designs, which became one of the architect’s signature styles.

The park’s most popular features include an area known as Hypostyle Hall. Supporting a large terrace, the hall has 86 towering columns resembling tree trunks and a ceiling covered in intricate, vibrant mosaics. The terrace it supports includes the famous Serpentine Bench, purportedly the largest bench in the world. Studded with colorful mosaic tiles, the concrete bench undulates its way around the main terrace and provides sweeping views of Barcelona—including views of Gaudí’s unfinished masterpiece Sagrada Familia in the distance.

Another highlight is Gaudí's former home, which has been converted into a museum. Rising four stories tall from the garden grounds, the most distinguishing characteristic is the color of its exterior, which is often described as “Pepto-Bismol pink.”

Gaudí incorporated organic shapes and natural materials to produce columns resembling trees, pathways curving like rivers, and structures blending into the landscape to reflect his belief that architecture should be an extension of the natural world.

When Antoni Gaudí received his degree, the university chancellor had this to say about the newly minted architect: “We have given this qualification to a genius or a madman, only time will tell.” With architectural treasures like Park Güell and Sagrada Familia to his name, we all know the answer to that.

A few more fascinating facts about Antoni Gaudí and Park Güell

• Coulda used a better architect—In 1906, Gaudí purchased the model villa that was built to attract buyers to Park Güell and lived there with his family until his death in 1926. One of the few structures at the park that he didn’t design himself, the house is now Museu Gaudí, where you can see his drawings, models, and furniture he designed.
• Shoulda stayed there, though—Gaudí’s life ended tragically when he was knocked over by a tram in Barcelona. Mistaken for a pauper because of his modest attire, the legendary architect was left to die in the street.
• Frequent flyers stay free—Park Güell has its own cozy little “insect hotel” for bees and other bugs to hang. They earn their keep by helping to pollinate plants and control pests, keeping the ecosystem of the park balanced.
• What, no Twilight Zone?—The park is divided into two separate “zones,” called the Monumental Zone and the Free Zone. Gaudi’s most iconic creations—including the entrance pavilion, staircase, serpentine bench, and his former home—are all in the Monumental Zone.
• The rain in Spain—The Hypostyle Room, which was originally designed to be a grand marketplace for future residents, features some clever engineering. Rainwater from the square above the hall is collected through the ceiling and funneled into an underground tank. And the dragon sculpture at the staircase isn’t just a pretty face—it serves as the overflow spout.
• Way to go UNESCO—While Park Güell was recognized by UNESCO in 1984, they decided to add six more of Gaudí’s buildings to the list in 2005: Güell Palace, Casa Milá, Casa Vicens, Gaudí’s work on the Nativity façade and crypt of Sagrada Familia, Casa Batlló, and the crypt of the Colonia Güell.
• I’m leaning towards Gaudí’s explanation—One mystery of Park Güell was why all the exterior columns seemed to be leaning. When asked why he made leaning columns, Gaudí replied: “For the same reason that the tired walker, when he stops, leans on the leaning staff because if he put it upright, he would not rest.”
• So, is it a salamander or a dragon?—People still argue whether “El Drac” (the Dragon) is a dragon or a salamander. Some say it’s definitely a dragon, symbolizing the famous dragon of Sant Jordi, the patron saint of Catalonia. Others insist it is an alchemical salamander, meaning fire, since Gaudí drew on so many mythical influences—especially Delphi’s Temple of Apollo—when building the park. Whatever it is, no one denies that it is one of favorite spots for visitors to take photographs in Barcelona.

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